It is based on the children's book character Little Toot, and follows an episode of Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories made by the same team in 1992.
In the morning, Salty the Seagull and Echo the Dolphin notice the pups and bring them aboard the deck.
The only way to get to him is with Little Toot, a tugboat who used to be the busiest and proudest until the boats no longer needed him and he sat in the docks feeling sorry for himself until he grew dirty and messy and became the home for three cats, who make anything miserable.
The pups want them off Toot, but they refuse saying they need him to collect a shipment sardines they heard Dogwood was delivering.
They also threaten to throw the pups overboard and feed them to a shark, until Salty gives Toot the encouragement he needs to get shoo the cats away.
As Salty boards Toot, the gang travels many miles and destinations until they meet Typhoon Tessie, the weather lady.
As for the cats, they search the ship to find the sardines, only for Dogwood to reveal that he threw them overboard to lighten the boat, much to their dismay.
Everyone begins to have a good laugh, except for the cats who decide to eat whatever is left on the ship and depressed that they don't have any sardines.